Animals’ secrets
Visitors’ patience can make a day at zoo special
A group of gorillas, including a small baby, lounged in the sun on the hill of their outside habitat, far from the cameras of visitors at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. A giggling group of preschool children on a field trip were instructed by their teachers to sit on the floor in front of a low-lying observation window.
Their patience was rewarded after a 10-minute wait. The mother gorilla slowly walked her baby right up to the glass. The Western Lowland gorillas looked directly at the thrilled children, who smiled and waved back. Also delighted were senior citizens on a church group field trip, who said they had waited 30 minutes hoping the gorillas would come closer.
Patience is my top tip for enhancing a trip to the zoo. Stand for 10-30 minutes in front of an exhibit or habitat, and you might see something special.
The close encounters with the gorillas happened in 1993 for me. I was a chaperone for the Strawberry Way Day Care Center Field Trip when our son, Dante, was 3.
It wasn’t an isolated incident.
Moka, a gorilla mamma who has birthed three babies at the zoo, “has been known to occasionally bring her son, Frankie, up to the windows for visitors to see him,” said Bethany Balandis, zoo director of marketing and communication. “I’ve personally seen her do this, and it’s very touching.”
Frankie was born in May 2018 on exhibit in full view of visitors. Moka could have gone inside to give birth but was apparently comfortable with the audience. Talk about being a zoo visitor in the right place at the right time.
You don’t always get what you’re looking for. The polar bears, a popular draw, did not live up to expectations on June 5 when the zoo reopened after a monthslong coronavirus shutdown.
“The last time I was here, the polar bears put on a big show. They swam right up to the
children,” said Carol Pingba, of Natrona Heights, a longtime zoo member.
Snowflake did not come out at all. Koda walked out onto the rocks and put his nose up, sniffing the air for nearly 10 minutes. A cheer went up when he walked to the edge of his pool. And then, nothing. Koda sat there for nearly 20 minutes without taking a dive. Children and adults walked away in search of livelier animals.
Here’s some helpful insider information from Ms. Balandis: The bears are most active in the morning, close to the zoo’s opening time of 9:30 a.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m., the keepers provide polar bears with “enrichment,” such as treats and new toys. They’ll play and will usually swim in the water.
“Some of our more active animals would be the California sea lions in Kids Kingdom,” said Ms. Balandis. “They have an enrichment program every day at 12:30 p.m. Guests can watch them participate in their own medical care and training.”
The penguins are most active on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. when the aquarists feed them in public view, she said.
My second tip for memorable zoo visits is to follow the children. Many of the animals seem to be intrigued by children. On June 5, a cheetah and an Amur leopard, in separate exhibits, walked up to the viewing windows, paced back and forth and made eye contact when children were there.
Children sometimes see things that adults don’t notice. On the first day, children excitedly commented on the chipmunks that darted in and out of the abundant greenery near exhibits and the bright orange koi fish and the wild mallard ducks that swim in the moats around some of the habitats.
A young boy crowed with delight when a bird landed on the back of an ostrich. It was a red-winged blackbird, said Jenni Urban, the zoo’s special events coordinator. Birds eat bugs off the backs of some animals and preen the feathers of ostriches, she told visitors.
There’s another tip: If you see staff or animal keepers in zoo shirts, say “hi” and listen to them. They are friendly and will tell you interesting things.
Current safety guidelines diminish the number of people who will be in the zoo at any given time. Visitors who are not part of a family are required to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet. Zoo staff wear masks at all times. Visitors are not required to do so, but many wore masks on June 5.
Go to www.pittsburghzoo.org to order timed tickets — $17.95 adults, $16.95 seniors and $15.95 for children. Sign-ups are posted two weeks at a time, and contrary to rumors on social media, the slots are not sold out through the end of the summer. Current hours are 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.